Hero Within: A Second Glance @ Chicago Comic Con

August 25, 2016

Chicago Comic Con was a blast!

As Tony wrote earlier, the people at Chicago Comic Con were super cool and friendly, especially those who came by the booth to check out Hero Within.

While Tony gave a great rundown of the con from his perspective, here's another perspective from someone who had the privilege of hanging at the HW booth, coming up with ways to converse with con attendees (Did you like Suicide Squad?) meeting anyone and everyone with whom I made eye contact. So here's what I noticed:

Did I Just See The Batman? - Hero Within's presence at Chicago Comic Con couldn't have been more epitomized than when people would walk by and do a double take on what was going on at the table. Some would stare, stop, and come up to me asking "What exactly is this?" Others would stand at at distance whispering in their friend's ear what they thought it was. No, dude, it's not a reversible jacket. It's everyday heroic gear that you can wear anywhere, and the fact that it was that low-key means its doing its job. Sure, this was our first rodeo having a booth, and there's much to improve for our display. HW, isn't overtly geeky, but when people do see that hero symbol on the jacket, faces get lit. The Jacket Geeks Deserve - Tony mentioned the reactions people had when they realized how unique Hero Within is. Every day of the con I witnessed the "Whoa's" get louder the more interaction people had with the jackets from realizing the Batman symbol on the back to seeing their picture with the jacket on. Without asking, they would exclaim how great it made them feel. This definitely put a smile on our faces and fuel to keep doing this for you guys.

Unite the Seventeen Hundred - People stop to look at whatever people are already looking at. Something happening on the side of the road, a tweet that goes viral, a table with heroic style for the everyday geek. We noticed that when one person was checking out the HW booth, a crowd would amass to also hear the spiel. It got a bit overwhelming at times as I worked the booth while Tony was running the panels and sending people over. It was definitely a challenge and a thrill to balance the crowds. Did some people walk away without a full on convo? Maybe, but our flier and updated site have our backs.

My favorite part of the convention was creating the awareness that the men's geek fashion trend is changing for the better. To see people catching on is the best result in the long run. At this point with all that's out there for guys, or little, it's going to be a long run. A fun long run, talking fashion, fandoms, and heroes!

What are your thoughts when you see a crowd gathering at a con? Keep moving or stop and check things out?